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{{Use Indian English|date=August 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Fateh Chand Badhwar
| image = Fateh Chand Badhwar.jpg
| birth_date = 1900
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1995|10|10|1900}}
| occupation = Civil Servant
| nationality = Indian
| awards = [[Order of the British Empire]] (in 1946)<br> [[Padma Bhushan]] (in 1955)
}}

'''Fateh Chand Badhwar''' [[OBE]], [[Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (Mil.) ( 1900 - 10 October 1995) was an [[Indian people|Indian]] [[civil servant]] and the first Indian to become Chairman of the [[Railway Board (India)|Railway Board]].<ref name="highbeam"/><ref name="himalayanclub">{{cite web|title=IN MEMORIAM — FATEH CHAND BADHWAR (1900-1995)|url=http://www.himalayanclub.org/journal/in-memoriam-46/|publisher=The Himalayan Club|access-date=12 April 2013}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Badhwar's father was an officer in the [[Indian Civil Service]].<ref name="gaychariot"/> He completed his schooling from [[Sherwood College]] in [[Nainital]] and later went on to study Mechanical Science [[Tripos]] at [[Cambridge University]].<ref name="gaychariot">{{cite book|last=Khosla|first=Gopal Das|title=Memory's Gay Chariot: An Autobiographical Narrative|year=1985|publisher=Allied Publishers|page=50|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LCBuAAAAMAAJ&q=F.+C.+Badhwar&dq=F.+C.+Badhwar|isbn=9788170230281}}</ref><ref name="Mathai1979">{{cite book|author=M. O. Mathai|title=My Days With Nehru|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UTtuAAAAMAAJ|year=1979|publisher=Vikas Publishing House|isbn=978-0-7069-0823-7|page=156}}</ref>

== Career ==
Badhwar began his career as a marine engineer, working in several European countries on marine civil engineering projects after completing his engineering degree at Cambridge.<ref name="himalayanclub" /><ref name=rgi>{{cite book|title=Railway Gazette International|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ooM7AAAAMAAJ|access-date=1 June 2013|date=January 1953|publisher=Reed Business Pub.|page=345}}</ref> In June 1925, he joined the [[East Indian Railway]]<ref name=rgi/> at [[Calcutta]] where he became one of the first Indian recruits in the technical services of the railways.<ref name="expressindia.indianexpress">{{cite news|title=Rail Trail |url=http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/latest-news/rail-trail/371036/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130629121451/http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/latest-news/rail-trail/371036/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-06-29 |access-date=12 April 2013 |newspaper=The Indian Express |date=8 October }}</ref> In his early years in the railways he was assigned to several civil works including the laying of new lines and bridges and he had a stint at [[Liluah|Liluah's]] Carriage and Wagons workshop.<ref name="himalayanclub" />

During [[World War II]], Badhwar served with the [[Indian Army Corps of Engineers|Corps of Engineers]] where he rose to become a [[Lieutenant-Colonel]]. For his services to the war effort, Major Fateh Chand Badhwar, [[Commanding Officer]] of the Technical Group of the East Indian Railway was awarded the [[Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (Military) in 1942.<ref name="himalayanclub" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Supplement to the London Gazette, January 1942|url=http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/35399/supplements/24/page.pdf|work=London Gazette|access-date=12 April 2013}}</ref>

He rejoined civil administration the following year and served variously as Secretary to the Railway Board, General Manager of the [[Oudh and Tirhut Railway]] and from 1949 on the Railway Board as Member Staff and then as Member Engineering. For his services, he was made an [[Order of the British Empire]] OBE (Civil) in 1946.<ref name="himalayanclub" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Supplement to the London Gazette, June 1946|url=http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/37598/supplements/2789/page.pdf|work=London Gazette|access-date=12 April 2013}}</ref> In 1951 he was appointed Chairman of the Railway Board — the first Indian to occupy that office which he held until his retirement in October 1954.<ref name="highbeam">{{cite news|title=OBITUARY: F. C. Badhwar|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4746409.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130629111259/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4746409.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 June 2013|access-date=12 April 2013|newspaper=The Independent|date=19 October 1995}}</ref>

As Chairman of the Railway Board, Badhwar oversaw the amalgamation of the various privately owned railways, government owned lines and those of the [[princely states]] into the single organisation of the [[Indian Railways]]. He was also a proponent of [[indigenisation]] of railway technology and used his technical skills and training to reduce India's railway imports from [[United Kingdom|Britain]] and to modernise the railways' [[rolling stock]]. This he achieved through the [[Research Design and Standards Organization|Research Design and Standards Organisation]], [[Lucknow]] which was established during his term as Chairman of the Railway Board.<ref name="highbeam" /><ref name="expressindia.indianexpress" /><ref>{{cite web|title=50 Years of RDSO: Powering Indian Railways |url=http://rdso.indianrailways.gov.in/works/uploads/File/powering-indian.pdf |access-date=12 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130405085718/http://www.rdso.indianrailways.gov.in/works/uploads/File/powering-indian.pdf |archive-date=5 April 2013}}</ref>

As the Chairman of the Indian Railways, he was also part of high-powered committees to industrialise the newly independent India.<ref name="Jain1998">{{cite book|author=L. C. Jain|title=The city of hope: the Faridabad story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mrLNEnirPfwC&pg=PA136|year=1998|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|isbn=978-81-7022-748-9|page=136}}</ref>

== Later life ==
After his retirement, Badhwar served on the Board of Directors of Bird & Heilgers, Pvt. Ltd.<ref>{{cite book|title=Civic Affairs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wuYmAQAAIAAJ|year=1958|publisher=P. C. Kapoor at the Citizen Press|pages=30–34}}</ref> He was also made Chairman of the Customs Inquiry Committee and the National Industrial Development Corporation.<ref name="himalayanclub" /> He helped reorganize the [[Ceylon Government Railway]] in the 1950s when he served in that country under the [[Colombo Plan]] for two months.<ref>{{cite book|title=Railway Gazette International|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2YA7AAAAMAAJ|year=1955|publisher=Reed Business Pub.|page=226}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Overseas Railways|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5lAjAAAAMAAJ|year=1955|page=71}}</ref><ref name="Rampala1991">{{cite book|author=Bamunuarachchige Don Rampala|title=History of the Sri Lanka Government Railway: B.D. Rampala Felicitation Volume|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X3zbAAAAMAAJ|year=1991|publisher=Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka|isbn=978-955-9119-00-5|page=134}}</ref> Badhwar was a nature enthusiast and mountaineer who served as President of the Delhi Bird Watchers Society and had a long association with The Himalayan Club of which he was the first Indian president between 1964-67.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kapadia|first=Harish|journal=The Himalayan Journal|year=1996|volume=52|url=http://www.himalayanclub.org/journal/editorial-36/|access-date=12 April 2013 |title=Himalayan Journal 52}}</ref> He also served as the Secretary of the Patiala-based Indian Society for Cultural Cooperation and Friendship.<ref name="Singh2001">{{cite book|author=Mohinder Singh|title=Punjab 2000: Political and Socio-economic Developments|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1ZNgVkbUtagC&pg=PA388|year=2001|publisher=Anamika Publishers & Distributors (P) Limited|isbn=978-81-86565-90-2|page=389}}</ref>

Badhwar died on October 10, 1995.<ref name="highbeam"/>
== Honours ==
Badhwar was honoured by the [[Government of India]] with a [[Padma Bhushan]] in 1955.<ref name=hindu>{{cite news|title=Bharat Ratna for Nehru|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2005090902270900.htm&date=2005/09/09/&prd=th&|access-date=12 April 2013|newspaper=The Hindu|date=9 September 1955}}</ref> [[Badhwar Park]], a railway residential colony in [[Mumbai|Mumbai's]] [[Colaba District|Colaba area]] has been named in his honour.<ref name="expressindia.indianexpress" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Badhwar Park|url=http://www.touristlink.com/india/badhwar-park.html|access-date=12 April 2013}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1954–59}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Badhwar, Fateh Chand}}
[[Category:1900 births]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:Sherwood College alumni]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge]]
[[Category:Indian Railways officers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in civil service]]
[[Category:Indian civil servants]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]

Fateh Chand Badhwar - Revision history

>4meter4 at 14:35, 22 June 2021